I like most Albertans I strongly supported the Klein plan on our debt and deficit. I have become very concerned about the social infrastructure deficit that was created by the single minded fast-track focus on debt and deficit elimination. I don’t just blame the politicians for the social consequences of this concentrated fiscal effort. We citizens cheered them on as they squeezed every nickel out of the system and paid down debt with breakneck speed and efficiency.
I have been working professionally with many of the social damage consequences of ignoring the social infrastructure deficit we have created in the wake of our debt and deficit over-success.
One of the social deficit consequences I have been working on professionally was resolved on Valentine’s Day by Premier Stelmach under his “Building Our Quality of Life” platform plan. He agreed that his government would pick up the costs of Police Information Checks on volunteers. These volunteers are citizens who take time to work with not-for-profit community-based social service agencies. who together, are helping vulnerable Albertans.
The Alberta voluntary sector has wanted an enhanced and effective Police Information Checks system to be provided and paid for by the province for quite a while. The cost of doing police checks on volunteers has become a serious drain on the not-for-profit and voluntary sector program funds. These PICs are a vital part of providing the social service sector with a responsible volunteer recruitment and retention program.
Congratulations to Ed Stelmach for picking up the ball and the cost of PICs for volunteer screening for vulnerable Albertans. This key political promise will go a long way to easing some the unfair operational fiscal burden on community based social agencies.
These not-for-profit communities based social service agencies are the on-the-ground front-line people who are building better communities all over Alberta every day. These community-based social service groups are the backbone of a province wide system that is in crisis. Picking up the costs of PICs is a big step forward for those agencies that use community-minded volunteer citizen to help meet the needs of vulnerable Albertans like at-risk children, the elderly and those who are developmentally disabled.
Congratulations must go to Volunteer Alberta too for bring this issue to the provincial policy forefront and for quarterbacking it to this successful result.
I have been working professionally with many of the social damage consequences of ignoring the social infrastructure deficit we have created in the wake of our debt and deficit over-success.
One of the social deficit consequences I have been working on professionally was resolved on Valentine’s Day by Premier Stelmach under his “Building Our Quality of Life” platform plan. He agreed that his government would pick up the costs of Police Information Checks on volunteers. These volunteers are citizens who take time to work with not-for-profit community-based social service agencies. who together, are helping vulnerable Albertans.
The Alberta voluntary sector has wanted an enhanced and effective Police Information Checks system to be provided and paid for by the province for quite a while. The cost of doing police checks on volunteers has become a serious drain on the not-for-profit and voluntary sector program funds. These PICs are a vital part of providing the social service sector with a responsible volunteer recruitment and retention program.
Congratulations to Ed Stelmach for picking up the ball and the cost of PICs for volunteer screening for vulnerable Albertans. This key political promise will go a long way to easing some the unfair operational fiscal burden on community based social agencies.
These not-for-profit communities based social service agencies are the on-the-ground front-line people who are building better communities all over Alberta every day. These community-based social service groups are the backbone of a province wide system that is in crisis. Picking up the costs of PICs is a big step forward for those agencies that use community-minded volunteer citizen to help meet the needs of vulnerable Albertans like at-risk children, the elderly and those who are developmentally disabled.
Congratulations must go to Volunteer Alberta too for bring this issue to the provincial policy forefront and for quarterbacking it to this successful result.
Only one problem here - which is more than just a detail, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteStelmach has *promised* this; it's not a fact yet that "...his government would pick up the costs of Police Information Checks"...
Yes, hopefully his gov't *would* pick up the costs, if his gov't *were* re-elected. We must wait and see. Promises happen in elections.
Stelmach has not picked up the cost for anything.
(Non-profits who are celebrating over this must be clear about what is Fact and what is Promise.)
Great point Anon @ 2:55.
ReplyDeleteThis is a political party announcement at election time.
It is a political promise NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY - yet.
Citizens have to be careful not to confuse thie two things...they are very different.
It is still worth getting excited about and working towards getting the other political parties to follow the Stelmach lead on this issue.
Stelmach is covering volunteer PICs for groups working with vulnerable populations is a good start but not the end of the road on this effort.
We see stories of volunteer sports coaches who get through the cracks without good PIC procedures. Don't tell me young healthy children playing hockey or soccer, or what have you, can't be considered at risk and vulnerable under such circumstances too.
You don't have to be "officially at-risk" or disabled to be vulnerable.
He is being forced to make this promise in an attempt to get votes. I am sure the liberals, the NDP and whatever other parties there are would support the same program. As such, this certainly won't sway my vote. I would ask why this wasn't done last year.
ReplyDeleteI always struggle with topics that seem to have obvious solution paths and within the Crime Reduction topic I see a thread that ties to volunteers and not for profit organizations.
ReplyDeleteThese are the front line troops that deal with crime prevention, those involved with crime and picking up the pieces of the impact of crime…..and they are not police officers or crown prosecutors.
It is interesting that none of the Parties have come out with anything that resembles a policy on volunteers or the not for profit sector. (other than paying for police checks)
Why is it that politicians can not step back and see bigger pictures?
The Not for Profit Voluntary Sector has articulated the challenges it faces for more than ten years but politicians don’t seem to understand that they have a multi-faceted relationship with the sector in the delivery of the governments own programs & services.
Two stories surfaced in the last two weeks that indicate the frustration of not for profit organizations; the first was in Leduc where the organization decided to shut its doors because it could no longer attract staff @ 50 percentage less than the going wage. They serve persons with disabilities.
The second was the unionization of not for profit staff in a Red Deer organization.
Both of these situations will come back to bite the politicians.
During his Leadership campaign Stelmach came out with the Tax Credit and Community Spirit program ideas. Both have been put into place. Both are long term contributions to generating more donations/funding for the not for profit orgs.
Why did Stelmach stop why didn’t he take the next step?
The Party that comes up with a realistic policy to support the not for profit sector will get my vote.
Sorry Ken, cheering for Stelmach's better-late-than-never promises to support the NFP sector ignores the whole ideology that created the problem - and that Stelmach and co. still believe in wholeheartedly. The seriously misguided movement away from operating grants for agencies that provide essential public services has been the biggest single policy driver for all the subsequent problems. As near as I can tell, it is still a PC policy. In fact, the whole concept of charging for poice checks in the first place comes from the same ideology. A vote for these guys is a vote for more of the same. The sheep's clothing won't change the nature of the wolf.
ReplyDeleteMic